William D. Adams, the tenth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, resigned from the agency, effective Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Adams was nominated by President Barack Obama in April 2014 and was confirmed by the United States Senate three months later.
According to an NEH press release, “In explaining his decision, Adams noted the positive resolution of the agency’s funding for the remainder of FY 2017 and the beginning of the administrative transition at NEH. ‘We’re encouraged that Congress and the President increased our funding for the current year and that the White House has initiated the process of bringing new political appointees to the agency,’ Adams said. He also noted his desire to pursue his scholarship and to spend more time with his family. Adams will return to Falmouth, Maine, where he lives with his wife, Lauren Sterling.”